SL focus screen cleaning

[mort linder]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

is it possible to easily remove the focusing screen on the SL to clean some dust behind it ? 

the screens on the R can be changed to put in different focusing paterns .  

[dpitt]

I do not think there is something like a focusing screen in the SL. Its more constructed like a lens seeing a very high resolution LCD display.

[davidmknoble]

On 3/9/2023 at 1:18 PM, mort linder said:

is it possible to easily remove the focusing screen on the SL to clean some dust behind it ? 

the screens on the R can be changed to put in different focusing paterns .  

I’m not sure the focus screen comes out on the leicaflex cameras. Try searching the instructions online. I have the SL2 but not for very long and it is getting a cla so I cannot check. 

[davidmknoble]

19 hours ago, dpitt said:

I do not think there is something like a focusing screen in the SL. Its more constructed like a lens seeing a very high resolution LCD display.

The oP was referring to the leicaflex. 

Edited March 11, 2023 by davidmknoble

[dpitt]

6 hours ago, davidmknoble said:

The oP was referring to the leicaflex. 

Thank you for correcting me.

It was a big mistake from Leica to name the SL digital the same as the old film camera's. At least they should have chosen SL3 for the first digital version. (same for the CL)

[hepcat]

The focusing screens on all of the Leicaflex models are not removable as they are in the R series.  In order to clean them, the body has to be disassembled from the top down and the pentaprism removed.   It's a larger job than I'd be comfortable undertaking.

[davidmknoble]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

10 hours ago, hepcat said:

The focusing screens on all of the Leicaflex models are not removable as they are in the R series.  In order to clean them, the body has to be disassembled from the top down and the pentaprism removed.   It's a larger job than I'd be comfortable undertaking.

Would a standard CLA typically involve that?

[hepcat]

10 hours ago, davidmknoble said:

Would a standard CLA typically involve that?

I always think that the term "CLA" is a little misleading and it's misused frequently. I've found over the years that the term "CLA" means different things to different people.    Certainly a complete overhaul would entail the top plate and prism removal and a focusing screen cleaning. 

I recently sent my SL2 to Don Goldberg for a full overhaul and prism replacement.  It was completely seized up when I got it and had some rust inside.  The prism was de-silvered and quite dim.   It is now a "new" camera, although Don reports that Leitz sold him the last "new" prism ten years ago, he put the best used prism he had in it.  As the Leicaflex SL2 was made of unobtanium when they were new ($1600 in 1974 dollars, nearly $10,000 today,)  so to use one today that operates, sounds, looks, and feels like it did when it was new out of the box is an amazing experience.   My Leicaflex Standard and Leicaflex SL are also in excellent condition.  I had the Standard adapted for silver-oxide batteries, but it didn't need any other work, and the SL is box-stock and still working the way it was designed without any attention (at least since I've had it.)

[davidmknoble]

5 hours ago, hepcat said:

I always think that the term "CLA" is a little misleading and it's misused frequently. I've found over the years that the term "CLA" means different things to different people.    Certainly a complete overhaul would entail the top plate and prism removal and a focusing screen cleaning. 

I recently sent my SL2 to Don Goldberg for a full overhaul and prism replacement.  It was completely seized up when I got it and had some rust inside.  The prism was de-silvered and quite dim.   It is now a "new" camera, although Don reports that Leitz sold him the last "new" prism ten years ago, he put the best used prism he had in it.  As the Leicaflex SL2 was made of unobtanium when they were new ($1600 in 1974 dollars, nearly $10,000 today,)  so to use one today that operates, sounds, looks, and feels like it did when it was new out of the box is an amazing experience.   My Leicaflex Standard and Leicaflex SL are also in excellent condition.  I had the Standard adapted for silver-oxide batteries, but it didn't need any other work, and the SL is box-stock and still working the way it was designed without any attention (at least since I've had it.)

LOL, Don has mine now.  Mine is in really good shape, but I have no clue how good the shutter speeds are.  He does great work and should be a gold standard of CLA....

[hepcat]

On 3/13/2023 at 2:27 PM, davidmknoble said:

LOL, Don has mine now.  Mine is in really good shape, but I have no clue how good the shutter speeds are.  He does great work and should be a gold standard of CLA....

I couldn't agree more.  it's going to be a tragedy if he ever decides he wants to retire.  Actually BOTH he and Sherry Krauter.